On My Way To School by Sarah Maizes (Children’s Book Review)

September 22, 2014 by 6 Comments

School.

We’ve been back at it for a month now, and the bloom is off the rose. Every weekday morning there are groans and whining instead of bounces and enthusiasm like there were during the first few days of school.

While Sarah Maizes’ latest book in the On My Way To… series came out before school started, I am finding that it is useful now that school is a daily reality that has sunk in, however unwelcome.

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It seems funny to review a children’s book, but our kids have preferences for certain things just like we do, right? The best way I have figured out how to discover my own boys’ tastes is just to to put piles of books under their noses and see which ones they pick up again and again. It was easy when they were babies and I read them Goodnight Moon every single day and night. They had no choice. But once they got older and actually started learning how to read, well, let’s just say they expressed their opinions with no reasonable doubt.

That’s why I hoped and prayed that they would love the series by Sarah Maizes. She is my friend and colleague, and she has persevered against all odds (i.e. the intimidating world of book publishing) to publish not one but now three children’s books inspired by her own daughter Livi who stalls and hems and haws when forced to go to things like bed, a bath, and now school.

On My Way To School is the fantastical journey of a little girl who doesn’t want to go to school. “School is for people who need to learn stuff. I have gone to school and hundred times and I already know lots of stuff,” declares Livi. Boy, have I heard that one before.

Turning the mundane, routine task of getting out of bed and getting dressed for school into an adventure filled with snails, pirates, kangaroos, a red carpet, and more, Maizes channels Livi into a story that can help kids wrap their little minds around going to school. Michael Paraskevas’ colorful and imaginative illustrations will hopefully inspire them to create their own adventures out of otherwise ordinary days.

This book is perfect for my 7-year-old who is just getting a handle on reading, and loves the pictures and the story. He creates fantasy worlds for himself all the time, and can, no doubt, relate.

I think I’ll put it under his pillow and hope he awakes with a sense of adventure for school that he receives by osmosis during the night.

On My Way To School
by Sarah Maizes
$14.29 on Amazon

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Spring Looks at The Children’s Place

March 24, 2014 by 13 Comments

lake lindero spring flowers

It’s spring for real, and here are some flowers to prove it, if you don’t believe it based on my recent garden updates! These flowers were spotted around the Lake Lindero neighborhood in Agoura Hills.

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It is the perfect time to stock up on kids’ clothes for spring, too. I checked out the newest looks for spring at The Children’s Place last week, and aside from leaving there wishing I had a little girl to dress (and also that they made floral jeggings for adult women) I was so happy with the fashions I found.

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Durability is the most important quality to me when I am shopping for clothes for my boys. If you asked them directly, though, they would say comfort and “coolness” are also very important. So I stick with elastic waistbands for pants, and “cool” prints and styles for shirts. The Children’s Place is where I often shop for them, because the durability to affordability ratio is right up my alley.

I snatched up adorable plaid shorts, polo shirts, and khaki’s for my boys and I couldn’t resist this adorable outfit for my niece.

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There’s always a great sale at The Children’s Place, so it’s one of my first stops  at the Oaks mall, and now there is a store on Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, too!

Happy spring! Here’s to not putting holes in the knees of the pants the first time they wear them…

I received store credit at The Children’s Place to facilitate this feature.

 

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Instantly Fabulous with Secret Extensions [Giveaway]

February 4, 2014 by 55 Comments

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(This is not all my hair. Shhh! It’s a secret. Read to bottom for giveaway.)

One of my favorite things to do lately, when I see friends, is to show up or receive guests wearing my new Secret Extensions extra hair. It looks like I’ve gotten extensions put it in, or for people I haven’t seen in a long time, like my hair got really long since they saw me last.

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And then I make them watch as I take the extensions out. It’s a remarkably simple maneuver – I just take off the invisible headband that is fitted on the bottom with hair that matches my own. Wearing the extensions is as easy as putting on a headband. And it looks so natural and fabulous.

(My kids, of course, had to try them, too. I didn’t get a photo, but trust me, on a boy it looks like the most fabulous mullet you can imagine. Here are my extensions taking a little rest:)

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It’s Secret Extensions, and it’s only $29.99!

Here’s how it works – the spectacular Helen Crutchfield, who was on hand at the event where I received a fantastic blowout and custom-shaped Secret Extensions – explains and shows you how:

Daisy Fuentes is the cover girl for Secret Extensions, and she has a video too:

The extensions I have are actually the double weft – you can pay extra to get double the thickness depending on the thickness of your hair.

To order, just go to the Secret Extensions website. For readers of this blog, you can get free shipping if you CLICK HERE and use the promo code “daisy.”

If you have a good stylist, bring the extensions to him or her and have them trimmed to fit the shape of your hair.

Secret Extensions also makes removable bangs (I KNOW!) and a funky ponytail extension that makes it look like you have a cute little up-do in a snap!

bloggers with secret extensions

The best news is that I am giving away a set of Secret Extensions here on this post! Just leave a comment below to let me know that you want to enter and make sure I have your contact information by using a real email address. Enter by 11:59 PM on Monday, February 10 – a random winner will be chosen from all qualified comments. No need for tweeting or sharing for extra entries (but I would love it if you’d share with friends who might like this post). The winner just has to tell Secret Extensions what color hair she has, and they will send her some new extra hair!

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